


A Story Of Those Who Always Loved You

by nagi_schwarz



Series: The Oppenheimer Effect [65]
Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Clan Mitchell, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 18:38:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8764513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz
Summary: Written for the comment_fic prompt: "Any, any, 'Welcome to the party, pal.'"Dave Sheppard takes his family to Tyler Mitchell's graduation party.





	

Dave took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He was pretty sure this was the right house. The GPS had led him straight here, and the crowd of cars out front seemed to indicate that there was a gathering, at any rate. Either a gathering or a huge family.

Dave glanced over his shoulder to where Kathy and the girls were standing beside the car, wearing their Sunday best. He headed up the front path - little decorative stones - and glanced around. The lawn was neat, and the flower bushes were well-manicured. It was a nice enough neighborhood. He knocked on the door.

It swung open almost immediately. Dave didn’t recognize the man who answered the door at all.

“Can I help you?” The man had blue eyes and brown hair and a bit of a southern drawl.

“I’m here for Tyler Mitchell’s graduation party,” Dave said.

The man grinned, held the door open wider. “Welcome to the party, pal. Food’s in the kitchen. People are gathered out back. So great to see you!”

Dave glanced over his shoulder and nodded, and Kathy herded the girls up the path and into the house. Which was - warm and cozy. Well-appointed. There were pictures all over the walls of people Dave didn’t recognize. Whoever John had used as a decorator, he or she was talented.

The kitchen was large, spacious. Every surface was filled with food, some made, some half-prepared. A plump, bright-eyed woman in a chef jacket was bustling about with an energetic air of nerves. She had band-aids on every single fingertip but otherwise seemed unharmed.

“Hi!” she said, beaming at Dave. “You headed out to the back garden?”

Dave nodded. The kitchen led to a den and a dining room, and french doors from the dining room led to a large yard, which was lined with buffet tables and crowded with yet more strangers.

The woman pointed to a tray of exquisite fruit tarts. “Could you take that out to the dessert table? Thanks!”

Dave blinked, but then Kathy was nodding and smiling and picking up the tray.

“Where is your brother?” she hissed at Dave.

Anna was carrying the graduation gift in a large, ornately-wrapped box.

“I don’t know,” Dave protested. He opened his mouth to ask the chef, but then she was hollering,

“Bluebell! Where are you when I need you?”

A dark-haired boy, maybe eight years old, ambled into the kitchen and said, “Uncle Bluebell’s trying to get a stain out of Mom’s shirt. Did you need something?”

The chef narrowed her eyes at him. “How are you at cooking?”

“I can read a recipe.”

The chef rifled through several drawers, flung an apron at the boy. “Then get in here, slave.”

The boy saluted. “Yes, ma’am!”

The chef’s eyes went wide. “No, no, don’t do that. What if your mother sees?”

Dave shrugged helplessly at Kathy, and together they waded into the crowd in the back garden. They found the dessert table easily enough, set down the tray. And they found the gift table, which had a few small boxes and a basket for cards.

Still there was no sign of John, and Dave had no idea who any of these people were. There were two men in wheelchairs, one old enough to be the other’s father, and they looked like they were related. They also looked like the man who’d answered the door. Which branch of the family did they belong to? John’s paramour had blue eyes, didn’t he? But Dave didn’t think he was in a wheelchair.

There was a blonde woman, a little blonde girl, and a dark-haired man having an earnest conversation with a boy who looked maybe twenty. There were two teenage girls holding hands and talking to a dark-skinned teenage girl and an older blonde woman. Kathy nudged the girls toward a corner, near a rose bush, and Dave stood beside her, scanning the crowd for anyone who looked familiar.

Two men burst onto the scene, one dark-haired and blue-eyed, holding a blouse with a stain on it. The other had lighter hair and also blue eyes, and he was dabbing at the blouse with a cloth.

“Has anyone heard from John?” the dark-haired one asked. “He said his brother might be coming, but -”

“John’s over at Too,” the light-haired one said, which made no sense. “Getting some more batteries for the Rock Band guitars.”

Finally. Someone who knew John. Dave started toward them.

“Hello,” he said. “I’m David Sheppard, and I’m looking for my brother.”

“You’re here! Does John know?” The dark-haired man swatted the other man’s hands away. “I got this, Rodney. You’re a physicist, not a chemist. Go get John, tell him his family’s here.”

Rodney. That was John’s paramour, right?

Rodney nodded and ducked away.

The dark-haired man smiled. “Sorry, it’s a little chaotic here. I know the Sheppards tend to be more formal. I’m Evan Lorne.” He offered a hand, which Dave shook tentatively. “John and I used to be roommates. We went to grad school together, and a while back he and Rodney moved into the house next door. We’re so glad you could make it. Feel free to get some food and sit down and relax, and John should be here soon.” He scrubbed at the shirt some more, sighed. “Tally, I think this one’s a loss. You know how red stains.”

A dark-haired woman who looked like she could be Evan’s sister came and fetched the blouse. “Well, thanks for trying.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek and walked away.

Dave was confused. Hadn’t the child in the kitchen said Uncle Bluebell was working on a stained shirt? With all the food available, though, it was possible more than one shirt had been stained.

Evan called out, “Tyler! Tyler, come meet John’s family.”

A dark-haired, dark-skinned boy appeared from somewhere in the crowd. He was a lovely child, with a heart-shaped face and soft dark hair and wide eyes. He pressed himself to Evan’s side, smiling shyly.

“Hi. I’m Tyler.” He offered a hand. His handshake was firm, though. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Sheppard.”

“Please, call me Dave.” Dave smiled at him. “So, graduating from high school. What are your plans? Which institutions have you been accepted to?”

“College isn’t really my thing,” Tyler said, and Dave suppressed a frown. “I want to be a certified mechanic, though. I really like working on cars with Cammie, and he said if I get certified I can make pretty decent money.”

Who was Cammie? Dave managed a smile. “That’s good. The trades are very - admirable.”

Tyler’s smile brightened. “I love cars, too. John says you drive a pretty cool car.”

“I do have a Mustang, for sport,” Dave said.

An awkward lull fell, and then John appeared, Rodney in tow.

“Dave, you made it. Did you bring Kathy the girls?” John stepped forward, shook Dave’s hand.

Dave beckoned, and Kathy ushered the girls over. Introductions were made to Cousin Tyler and Uncle Rodney, and then the adults did another round of introductions.

Rodney was apparently Dr. Rodney McKay, a civilian contractor with the Air Force.

“Is that how you met?” Kathy asked.

“Ah, no,” Rodney said. “I was out of town at a conference and my cat escaped from my house-sitter, and John and his roommates rescued him.”

“That cat? It’s super huge.” Anna peeled away from Kathy’s side and went to scoop up the massive feline who'd been sunning itself on a chair at the edge of the yard.

Dave started after her, panic in his throat, because cats scratched, but the cat went limp in Anna’s arms, curled over her wrists.

“Oppie’s pretty chill,” Tyler said. “He’s a ragdoll cat. Anyone can hold him.”

Anna brought the cat back over for Clara to pet.

“Look, Mommy! His collar lights up when I pet him!” Clara said.

Rodney, John, Evan, and Tyler exchanged looks that Dave couldn’t read.

“Thanks so much for coming to the party,” John said. “The actual graduation is tomorrow. We figured Tyler and the other kids will be at their party tomorrow night, and we wanted the family gathering tonight. Have you had any food?”

“Not yet,” Kathy began, and John dispatched Tyler to fetch food for her and the girls.

“I saw you have a chef, though,” Dave said.

“That’s actually Evan’s cousin Sookie,” John said. “She’s a professional chef, but she’s here as family. She’s been really supportive of, well, everything.”

So Evan was also Uncle Bluebell. Some kind of family in-joke, no doubt.

Tyler returned with food and two more men in tow - the twenty-year-old, and the younger man who was wheelchair-bound.

“Thanks so much for coming,” the man in the wheelchair said, offering a hand. “I’m Cam Mitchell, Tyler’s legal father.”

“JD Nealson.” The twenty-year-old had a firm handshake, met Dave’s gaze confidently.

Anna set the cat down reluctantly and accepted a plate of food. Clara pounced on a tiny cake and, after Kathy cleared her throat, set it aside in favor of something that looked vegetable first.

“How are you all related?” Kathy asked.

“Cam, Evan, and I were all in the same teaching program together,” John said.

Recognition lit in Kathy’s gaze. “And you all work at the same school.”

“Yes. I teach math. Evan teaches physics and art. Cam teaches auto shop and wood shop.” John looked proud of his friends.

“We were actually all in the Air Force, too,” Cam said, “but we didn’t serve together.”

Dave could see that in Cam, with his regulation-short hair and very erect posture, but Evan didn’t seem like a soldier at all.

But Anna, who was a little bit obsessed with the military after learning a bit about World War II at school, perked up. “Were you a chopper pilot, like Uncle John?”

“I was a fighter pilot, actually. Before I crashed.” Cam smiled.

“What about you?” Anna peered up at Evan.

“I wasn’t a fighter pilot by trade,” he said, “but I can fly fighter jets.”

“Wow. That’s so cool!” Anna would probably be pestering him and Cam later. Dave glanced at Kathy, and she nodded. She’d have a talk with Anna, make sure she didn’t ask any insensitive questions.

Dave eyed JD. “How do you fit into all this?”

“I used to be one of John’s roommates, too. Work at the school with Cam and rest. I’m going to school to get my teaching degree, but in the meantime I’m basically Cam’s legs in the shop. Help run crowd control.” JD’s dark eyes were bright and solemn at the same time.

“Were you also a foster child?” Kathy asked, and Cam and Evan winced.

“Ah, no. I was emancipated when I was fifteen. Been looking out for myself. My uncle was Cam and Evan’s CO before they were separated from service, and they were kind enough to take me in.”

And then Dave noticed just how close JD was standing to both Evan and Cam. As close as John and Rodney were standing to each other.

“I thought none of you served together,” Dave said.

“Cam and I were with the same umbrella project, but our paths never crossed before we mustered out. Rodney still works for the program, though, and sometimes some of us do consulting work.” Evan smiled at Kathy, bright and dimpled. “John tells me you do a lot of charity work, supporting the arts. Do you run any summer programs for underprivileged youth?”

Kathy was always ready to discuss her charities, and she warmed up to Evan considerably.

Eventually they drifted over to a little cluster of seats, and while they were there, more whirlwind introductions were made. Cam’s father, also in the wheelchair, also a retired Air Force combat pilot, his mother, and his brother, still serving in the Air Force. Rodney’s sister, a stay-at-home mother who sometimes consulted with the Air Force even though she was Canadian because she was a genius just like her brother. Her husband was a writer. Her daughter, Madison, ended up drifting into another room with Evan’s niece and nephew, Gabrielle and Michael, to play. Evan’s mother was an art teacher, hence Evan’s teaching art. His sister Tally was a tattoo artist, and his grandmother was a retired chef, hence Cousin Sookie also being a chef. JD had no family of his own, having been orphaned so young, though by all reports his uncle was supportive of his relationship with Cam ( _and Evan_ , though Dave was hesitant to believe it till he saw Evan kiss JD absently before he excused himself to fetch drinks for everyone at the table; Dave was a little gratified to see that Cam’s father was also a little uncomfortable about the three of them). Tyler had invited his girlfriend and her mother (his girlfriend was a bright young woman, headed for Colorado State and planning on majoring in pre-law) and two friends from school.

Best as Dave could tell, all of Cam’s family was soldiers, all of Evan’s family was hippies, and Rodney’s family was small and mostly poor intellectuals. JD had no family of his own and everyone blithely treated him like he was an adult. How any of them got along or dealt with each other was beyond Dave, and he noticed that Evan’s relatives were wary of Cam’s relatives.

As the evening wore on, people drifted inside, and the tables and chairs outside were folded down and taken into the garage for storage. While the kids were playing, there was discussion of who would stay where. Rodney’s family had one of the guest bedrooms in John and Rodney’s house - which was right next door and accessible through a gate in the fence just outside the back door into the kitchen. There were two more guest rooms at their place up for grabs, which were claimed by Evan’s family. Cam’s parents claimed the one guest room up on the ground floor of Cam’s house, because Cam’s father’s wheelchair didn’t go down the stairs, and Cam’s brother volunteered to sleep on the couch, which left the entire basement - complete with two bedrooms and its own bathroom - for Dave and his family if they wanted it.

Of course, Dave had planned on staying in a hotel, but Tyler told him fervently that he didn’t want to miss Evan’s breakfast. Cousin Sookie was granted the other guest room on the ground floor so she could help Evan in the kitchen.

Tyler’s friends and girlfriend and her mother soon departed, and where everyone had been scattered across the kitchen and dining room, somehow they all drifted into the den. Rodney sat down at the piano, and immediately Madison, Clara, and Anna were pressed up beside him, asking him to play Disney songs. John appeared with a guitar. Dave recognized it immediately. It was the same guitar John had bought in high school, so many years ago. He was amazed John still had the thing.

“You know what time it is,” Cam said, and Tyler, Cam, JD, and Evan chorused dutifully,

“Show time.”

“Show time?” Kathleen asked in a low voice. She and Dave were perched on a couple of chairs brought in from the dining room.

Tyler scooped up a binder that was on top of the piano, and he beckoned to Mikey and Gabby, who came to sit beside him. Madison, Clara, and Anna followed in short order.

“These are all the songs that Rodney and John can play,” Tyler said. “If you pick one, they can play it, and you can sing it.”

“Like karaoke?” Madison asked.

“Just like karaoke.” Tyler smiled and ruffled her hair.

Dave’s throat closed. Not just like karaoke. Like family sing-alongs. Mom had been a talented pianist in her own right, and some of Dave’s favorite memories were of sitting with her at the piano and singing with her, all four of them. Dad, John, Dave, and Mom. Dave hadn’t done this since Mom died.

Madison cheered. “I love karaoke!” She threw her arms around John for a hug. He held her tightly for a moment, then let her go with a smile.

As odd as John’s family was, all of them were good with all of the little kids, and for that Dave was grateful.

Rodney’s massive cat came ambling into the room and hopped up on Cam’s father’s lap, startling him. He laughed and reached out to pet the cat, who set to purring contentedly.

“Who’s first?” John asked, tuning his guitar.

“Not JD,” Evan said immediately. “It is patently unfair when JD goes first.”

“Why?” Evan’s mother asked.

“Wait and see,” Cam said, casting JD a look.

JD smiled innocently, hands tucked into his pockets.

“You know who has a great voice?” John said, and Dave tensed. He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t dare -

“David Sheppard,” John said, “has the best tenor in all of -”

“Dave?” Kathy asked.

John strummed a chord on his guitar, his smirk challenging. “What’s this? You’ve never sung for your wife?”

Dave cleared his throat.

John started to play a familiar riff. “C’mon, Dave. Start us off. With a little John Denver. For old times’ sake.”

“John -”

It was Cam who started the song, his voice surprisingly sweet. “ _You fill up my senses like a night in the forest…_ ”

Dave, horribly aware of everyone watching him, joined in. “ _Like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain…_ ”

Eventually Cam faded down to a harmony, leaving Dave to keep up the melody, and halfway through the song, everyone was swaying along, watching him and smiling. And it felt - good. Really, really good. Dave hadn’t realized how much he missed music, how much he missed John.

John, his big brother, who’d always protected him from bullies, and who’d stood by him and held his hand at Mom’s funeral.

When the song ended, everyone burst into applause, and Kathy tugged Dave in for a very surprising kiss that had all the little kids going _oooooh_ , except for Anna, who said,

“Get a room.”

Cam sang next, Dust in the Wind by Kansas, and John had just gotten better on the guitar over the years. Evan, who didn’t have the greatest voice, sang Blowin’ in the Wind, backed up by his entire family, and Tyler and Cam and Ash pretended to wave lighters. They went around the room, people picking songs, people playing songs - Evan was a decent enough drummer, given an empty ice cream tub - and in this, Dave could see. They were family.

“For the last one,” JD said, “I’m going to need some volunteers.”

Rodney, who’d performed admirably, mostly relying on chord progressions, took a deep breath. “Which song is it?”

JD flipped through the binder full of Songs Rodney and John Can Play and pointed.

Rodney stared for a long moment. “Seriously? Fine. Jeannie, get over here. I need you to be Cosette. We need a Fantine and an Eponine. Or - I think in this instance Cosette and Eponine can double up.”

Rodney’s sister rose up. “Okay.”

“I can be Fantine,” Cam’s mother said, and she rose up as well, went to stand beside JD.

“And everyone else is the chorus,” JD said.

“A number from Les Mis?” Cam protested. “I thought this was a celebration.”

“It is,” JD assured him gravely. “Hit it, Rodney.”

Rodney played the opening chords, and Dave, who had seen the play live several times, felt his heart speed up.

JD had a surprisingly deep timbre when he sang, and his voice was - powerful. Operatic. Jeannie’s voice was clear and strong, but not quite like JD’s. Like Cam, Dave doubted this choice of song as a celebration, until JD sang,

“ _It’s a story of those who always loved you. Your mother gave her life for you, then gave you to my keeping._ ”

Tyler sniffled and reached out, squeezed Cam’s hand very tightly.

Cam’s mother had a beautiful voice. “ _Come with me where chains will never bind you, all your grief at last, at last behind you._ ”

Jeannie’s voice blended well with Cam’s mother’s, and when JD joined in, for a moment, Dave couldn’t breathe.

“ _And remember the truth that once was spoken: to love another person is to see the face of God._ ”

It was Ash who raised the chorus. “ _Do you hear the people sing?_ ”

Dave reached out and grasped Kathy’s hand, joined in. “ _Lost in the valley of the night. It is the music of the people who are climbing to the light._ ”

Evan’s mother and sister and grandmother joined in, and one by one the chorus grew until they were singing about the world they longed to see beyond the barricade.

When the song ended, Rodney lifted his hands away from the piano keys, and the final notes hung in the air, everyone hushed.

Then Tyler launched himself into JD’s arms, laughing and crying all at once.

“That,” Evan said, “is why JD doesn’t get to go first.”

It was Rodney’s brother-in-law who reached out and patted Dave on the shoulder and said, “Welcome to the family.”

And then Sookie said, “Food’s on!”

**Author's Note:**

> Unnamed karaoke selections include Annie's Song by John Denver and the Finale from Les Miserables.


End file.
